Pneumatic thread remover for looms



g- 1952 c. R. KRONOFF PNEUMATIC THREAD REMOVER FOR LOOMS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 8, 1950 INVENTOR CLARENCE KRONOFF ATTORNEY Aug. 26, 1952 c. R. KRONOFF 2,608,217

PNEUMATIC THREAD REMOVER FOR LOOMS ATTORNEY.

Aug. 26, 1952 c. R. KRONOFF 2,603,217

PNEUMATIC THREAD REMOVER FOR LOOMS Filed March 8, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet "5 lNVENTOR CLARENCE R. KRONOFF 64M. /fmwe ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 26, 1952 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE REMOVER FOR LOOMS Glarence R. Kronofl"; Worcester, Mass, assig'nor to Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application time s, 1950,- Serial-No. 148,423 22 Claims. (01. 139256) 1 This invention relates to improvements in pneumatic thread removers for weft replenish ing looms and it is the general object of the in vention to provide an improved remover one of the features of'which' is an angularly movable 5 the remover to remain in its pick-up position thread pick-up head which when moving from its throughout the entire backward stroke of the thread pick-up to'its non-pick up position swings lay immediately after weft replenishment; and in such manner as to establish increased hold preferably during part of the ensuing forward ing relation with the thread to' be removed. stroke, thereby maintaining the hook and intake In the past pneumatic thread removers" have mouth down in a position favorable for thread been mounted on the pivot stud of the transferrer pick-up. This result may conveniently be accomarm and have been moved down to thread pick plished by a control derived from the cam o'nthe up position at the time of weft replenishment. loom which operates part of the reserve bobbin The thread intake mouth has been associated in magazine; I V the past' with a thread hoolc which is placed rear" It has been proposed heretofore to throttle the wardly" of the thread so that as the lay moves blast of air passing through the remover when backwardly afterweft replenishment it will move the latter is in its'noii-p p position a d Op the thread toward the hook; These removers the remover for a full blast of air when in-p'ickhave been mounted so that when returning to up position. AS made t p w r theirnon-pick-up position the hook has moved throttling has requ r d e thread-to bend 'a'roun'd to a thread: releasing position and if the sub a sharp r r which au p s t of s and atmospheric pressures have not caught the thread also interferes with ready removal of the thread. t met is likely t m -1 t; It is another object of the present invention In carrying out the aforesaidfeature of the to pr vi the thread remover with an air pa invention it is a more particular object to pro-' Sage 0 Shaped'that the dust will collect on a rovide a pneumatic thread remover with a head wry Valve m c red'of t e dust When having an intake ut and hook mounted o turning to'control flow of. air through the pas a supporting structure and controlled during its Sage movementstoward'andfrom pick up position so other Objacts 0f the invention relate a that w n moving: t picktup' s t t thread'guard on each side'of the'intake mouth hook will be pointed in agenerally down dime and 11001;; v ent of the mouth to a po i tion f ready ntry' f the t r ng back; forward of the shuttle box back; the; relative Ward movement of the my but whenithe, remover sizes of the intake mouthand-areasofthe thread is returned to its normally raised position the Passage when Open d part a y Closed, and head will turn in-such rnaniier as to elevate the 3 e" Operated y' rocking of the thread conhook or at wast move it toward a horizontal 'ah a l 7 position in which it will be better adapted to wl'th'these d" other Objects iii-view which hold the thread will appear as the description proceeds; the in- When pneumatic' thre'a'd removers are moved Vention resides the c b ion and arrangeto their thread piek-up po'sitionby the' trahsferrer 40 merit of D s hereinafterdescribed and-set forth. arm it is necessary to provide additional means the accompanying drawings; w erein twofor returning theremover tc its normal-position forms of the Invention e' 'fo at some time subsequent to bobbih transfer; Ea H's-aside elevation o tartar aW'eftre- This is ordinarily done by' airedor'the'lilrewhich r q s i e p s e from the center thereof rises as thelay approachesa g g i p551; having the preferred form" of the invention 33 tionto engage the carrier or mountingror' the" plied thereto, t v i si cross section, remover'and restore it to it's'norihalelevated posii an enlarged side elevation of the tion; 'In such meenanismsthe remover-atta ns t e dj r iv Fi 1 in its normal wardlyfrom its pick -uiiriosition during thefirs't le 9r th'rea'd non-piclr-up' position; the my be backward movement of the' lay after transfer and mg n 0 031 Section and on its front lceiit'ei" post: there is the possibility that the receding lay will tion'; I not-move the thread to the m'outhand-hook of Fig. 3 is'a'viewsimilarto Fig; 2 but'show'sthe' the remover until the-la'tt'er-ha's moved upwardlyj threa'dremover in its thread pick-up position, to a position toohigh t' a t'traet o'r' engage-the Fig'. 4 is an ei'ilargedlongitudinal" sectionon thread. line 4-4, Fig. 2,

' 2 It is another object of the present invention to delay return of the remover to its non-pick r up position by means, preferably some part of the weft replenishing mechanism, which enables Fig. 5 is an enlarged horizontal section on line 5-5, Fig. 2, showing the valve in its normal position,

Fig. 6 is an enlarged section on line 6-6, Fig. 3, showing the valve in the open positoin it assumes when the remover is in thread pick-up position,

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail plan view looking in the direction of arrow I, Fig. 2,- the support for the operating rod of the rotatable head being in section,

Fig. 8 is a detailed plan looking in the direction of arrow 8, Fig. 1,

Fig. 9 is a detail section on line 9-9, Fig. 5,

Fig. 10 is a detail section on line III-I0, Fig. 6,

Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic plan view on a reduced scale looking in the direction of arrow II, Fig. 3, showing the lay and shuttle and adjacent parts and indicating the thread mouth of the remover in two different positions,

Fig. 12 is a diagrammatic view showing the relative size of the intake mouth with respect to the cross sectional area of the thread passage in thehead when the valve is in open and closed position,.and

Fig. 13 is a diagrammatic view showing a modification in the shape'of thread passage through the rockable head.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, the loom frame It supports a multicolor reserve bobbin magazine M having a foot II which is secured to the forward part of the loom frame. Foot II carries a stud I2 on which is pivoted a transferrer arm I3 having a thread remover positioning member I4 extending laterally therefrom. The transferrer arm latch I5 is normally down. as shown in Fig. 1, but is raised preparatory to bobbin transfer to be in register with a hunter I6 on the lay L which carries the shuttle S to be replenished. The lay has a shuttle box B provided with a front wall I1 and a back wall I8 aligned with the reed I9, see Fig. 11.

The mechanism M shown herein to illustrate an application of the invention to weft replenishing looms is of a well-known type and need not be described in detail. Certain parts of the mechanism are utilized by the present invention, however, and they will be briefly described.

A vertical rod is pivoted at its lower end to a generally horizontal lever 2| rockable about a stationary pivot 22. The rear part of lever 2|, to the left as viewed in Fig. 1, is operated by a cam 23 secured to the bottom shaft 24 of the loom. This shaft and the cam turn once every two picks of the loom in the direction indicated by arrow a. while the top or crank shaft 25 has a rotation every pick in the opposite direction.

The low area or part 26 of the cam causes rod 2| to move down on weft detecting beats of the loom when the shuttle S is at the magazine end of the loom and the lay is at front center. Rod 20 also has this down motion on transferring picks of the loom when arm I3 descends to move a selected bobbin from the magazine M into the shuttle. The dwell 21 of the cam then holds rod ill in an intermediate or neutral position until after the shuttle is picked to the opposite side of the loom and the lay is in the forward part of its stroke. The high area or part 28 of the cam then raises the rod 20 after which it is returned to neutral position by another dwell 29. When that part of the cam between dwell 21 and the high part 28 is in engagement with the lever 2I the lay is moving forwardly. This sequence of movements of lever 2| occurs every two picks of the loom.

As indicated in Fig. 11 a thread T to be r-' moved extends from the right end of the shuttle S toward the left to the selvage of the cloth or fabric F. This is the thread which remains from the outgoing bobbin at the time of bobbin transfer and it is cut at a point adjacent to the shuttle delivery eye E by any approved form of thread cutter designated herein at C. 1 This operation will ordinarily occur incident to a bobbin transferring operation when the lay is at or approaching front center, and that part of the thread attached directly to the outgoing bobbin will be removed by the latter, but the remainder of the thread, extending from the cutter to the cloth, must be removed if it is to be prevented from being drawn into the warp shed and produce a blemish in the cloth.

The thread lies between the shuttle S and a shuttle box front I1 and may cling to the latter after the shuttle is picked. In the past pneumatic thread removers have been used to remove this thread, but they have been mounted to move in such a way that as they approach their reset position the thread can drop away from them, or the thread mouth will be behind box back I8 and the latter will strike the thread.

The pneumatic thread remover forming the subject matter of the present invention is indicated herein generally at R and comprises a tube 30 slidably mounted on a carrier 3| mounted for pivotal movement on the transferrer arm stud I2. This carrier has a laterally bent wing 32 lying under the operator I4 of the transferrer arm and has also a guide wing 33 through which the tube 30 passes and can slide. A stop 34 fixed to the loom is positioned for engagement with carrier f-I to limit movement of the latter in a counterclockwise direction, Fig. 3, and determines the pick-up position of the remover. A resetting means, shown here as a vertical rod 35, has the upper end thereof formed for-engagement with the wing 32 so that as the rod rises the carrier will be moved from the pick-up position of Fig. 3 back to the normal non-pick-up position shown in Fig. 2. A leaf spring 36 between nut3l on stud I2 and carrier 3| urges the latter against a fixed part to be described and frictionally holds the remover in any position to which it is moved.

The matter thus far described except for the manner of operating the rod 35 and features of tube 30 and remover R to ,be described may be of usual construction and operate in the ordinar manner. p

The remover R in the preferred form of the invention is made with a thread pick-up head H which is mounted for pivotal movement on structure supported at the rear end of the tube 30, the left end thereof for instance as viewed in Figs. 2 and 3, and provision is made for rocking the head on the remover as thelatter moves to thread pick-up position and then rocking it in the reverse direction as the remover returns to its non-pick-up-position.

Referring particularly to Figs. 2, 3 and 4 the rear end of rod 30 has secured therein a plug 40 on which is mounted a support member or unit designated generally at 4I of box-like form having vertical parallel side walls 42 and 43 spaced lengthwise of the lay. The forward parts of these Walls are joined by a front wall 44 and their rear parts are joined by a back wall 45. Extending across the Walls 42 and 43 is a stud 46 affording pivotal support for the head H. This stud has a head 41 at one end and a nut, 48 at the other end to hold it in position on the support 4 I.

TIhe head is formed with an operating arm 50 pivoted as at to a forwardly extending rod 52. of adjustable length the front end of which isv pivoted as at 53 to an upright stationary plate 54 centered on stud [2. A pin 55 extending into the stand I'l passes through a slot 56 in the bottom of the. plate. The upper end of the latter and pivot 53 are thus held in fixed position. Plate 54. is the previously described part which frictiQl'lally ages carrier 3! as the latter is urged toward the plate by spring 36, see Fig. 7..

The head H has secured to. the lower part thereof a tube 68 the. lower end of which is formed with a thread hook 6| which extends forwardly from the. rear of a thread intake mouth 62 at the bottom of the tube 60. Another tube 63 is see cured to the top of head Hand is fitted to a flexible hose 5% which may lead, for instance, to a thread collector 55, Fig. l, in which subatmospheric. pressures exist. Tubes 60 and 63 are preferably aligned and register with a bore 66 in the head, the bore and hollow parts of the tubes constituting a thread passage designated generally at 61 and preferably of cylindrical form.

Rotatable in the head H about an axis preferably forward of passage 61 and extending generally parallel to the layis a valve 10 to which an actuating arm II is secured by screw 12. The valve extends into passage 61 from one side thereof, see Fig. 9. Arm H has a slot 13 which receives a pin 14 stationary with respect to wall 42. The valve has a cylindrical periphery 15 having a close fit with a bore 76 in the head. Extending across part of the periphery transverse of the valve axis is an air passage or port T! which is capable of re istering with the passage 67.

The bore 16 for the rotary valve 19 is so located in the head H that a small part of the air passage 61' extends beyond it to define a narrow path or passage 18, see Fig. 9-. The-wall 42 is formed with a downwardly extending slot 19 through which the screw '52 passe Walls 42 and 43 position the valve against end-Wise displacement, as is apparent from Fig. 6.

In the operation of the matter thus far described the remover R will normally be in the raised non-pick-up position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with the arm 59 moved to its left hand position and with valve iii in its normal position shown in Fig. 9. When in this position therestricted, path it permits a small leakage of air through the mouth 62 up through the lower part 80 of passage '61 and into upper part- 8! of the passage. The hook 5 extends substantiallyhorizontally forwardly-as indicated'in Fig. 2 and may in fact extend upwardly at its forward end in a position favorable for supporting a thread without the assistance of pneumatic suction. The; hook 6i and mouth 62 will also be forward of back box. wall [8 when the lay is on front center, see Fig. 2. At this time the transferrer arm i3 will be in its normal raised position. I

When a bobbin transfer occurs descent of the transfe'rrer arm will cause the operator ['4 to engage the wing 32- and rockthe carrier'3l around the stud i2 to its down or thread pick-up posi tion. During downward motion of the remover the rod 52 will cause relative forward motion of the operating arm 50 and thereby cause rocking of the head H relative to the support unit 4| around stud Min a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2-. This angular movement of the'head moves the hook-5| and mouth 62- rearwardly with respect to the support 41 to the position shown in Fig. 3. In this position hook 6i will be pointing in a downward as well as forward direction favorable for picking up. the thread and will be below the bottom edges 82 and 83 of walls 42 and 43. respectively, which will engage the thread '1 on both sides of mouth 62., I

'Ihelay is provided with the usual mass 84 of deformable material, such as plush, in which the hook is partly embedded. The head moves to the position shown in Fig. 3 asthelay reaches its front center position on a bobbin transferring beat of the loom and when the thread is severed by the cutter C that part of it extending toward the cloth will be under the wall edges 82 and 83 but will be supported by the plush 84 on the lay so as to be above the bottom of the hook or tongue 6 I. a

. Another effect of the aforesaid turning of the head is that the valve 10' is rocked due to movement of arm "H by pin 14 to the position shown in Fig. 10 with port '11 in register with passage 61 so that the latter has the same area throughout its length. A relatively large volume of air can therefore be drawn into the intake mouth 62 to act on the thread tending to draw it into and along passagefi'l toward collector 65 so long as the remover is in its pick-up position.

After transfer the lay moves 'rearwardly and in doing so will carry the thread with it toward the intake mouth 52 and into engagement with the hook iii. The remover will remain in-the position of Fig. 3 throughout the entire backward movement of the lay after bobbin transfer and during part of its ensuing forward motion so that valve 10 will remain open sufficiently long to enable subatmospheric pressures existing within the hose 64 to remove the thread. I Thereafter as the rod 35 is raised by mechanism to be described the remover will be given an upward movement, the transferrer arm being raised at this time, and the carrier 3| will be lifted and restore the remover to the normal position thereof shown in Fig. 2. V I

When the remover returns to its non-pick-up position'the 'head H will have a' reverse engular motion and the valve will rock back to its normal position due to cooperation of the arm and rod 52, and the'hook 6| will be swung forwardly to some such position as shown in Fig. 2 in which it will be able to support the thread independently of subatmospheric pressures within the tube should the thread for any reason not be drawn into the intake mouth 62. With the head in the position of Fig.2 the thread Twill extend from the intake mouth across the bottom upwardly and forwardlyginclined edge 82' of the wall 42, and when the thread is'eventually out at the cloth selvage it will be drawn into the mouth 62. The walls 42 and 43 serve as guards to prevent the thread from becoming entangled around the tube Gil when its ends are drawn into mouth 62. When in non-pick-up position the hook will extend slightly below wall edge 82, as shown in Fig. 2, but above edge 83 so that a thread when cut at the salvage and snapped'toward mouth 62 will strike wall 43 and be confined more or less within the vicinity-of the mouth. I

In order that they resetting rod 35 may have the upward movement already mentioned the I tappet 8'1 on cam 23-. The rod fifihas a collarBii secured thereto to'wh'ichis fastened the upper end of a tension spring 89v the lower end of which is held fixed asat 90. The forward arm 9I of lever 85 is connected as at 92 to the bottom of rod 35, and a stop 93 limits upward .motion of arm 86 and holds it in the path of cam surface 81. The latter is so positioned on cam 23 as to effect lifting of rod 35 some time during the forward beat of the lay next. following bobbin transfer. This timing of the resetting of remover R is to prevent it from interferring with the. thread (not shown) of the incoming. bobbin on the lay beat-up next following transfer of. a bobbin.

It occasionally happens that a shuttle will not be properly boxed as th lay moves forwardly and in order to prevent breakage of the remover R the latter is mounted for yielding forward motion. Within the tube 30 is a compression spring 95 the rear end of which bears against the plug 40 and the forward end of which bears against a lug96 extending. laterally from the carrier 3I. This lug extends through opposite slots 91 and 90 in and extending longitudinally of the tube 30 from the forward end thereof rearwardly to some such position as indicated in Fig. 4. The forward end of the tube is surrounded by a collar 99 which is preferably loosethereon but sufficiently close fitting to prevent spreading of the two halves of the forward end of the tube. V

Tapped into the tube is a bearing screw I which has adjustable back and forth therein longitudinally of the tube 30 a stop screw IOIpositioned for engagement with the lug 96. The collar 99 lies between the lug 96 and the head of the bearing screw,- as indicated in Fig. 4. By turning the stop screw IN the back and forth position of the remover as a whole can be adjusted with respect to the remover carrier 3 I By having spring 95 within tube 30 it is not able to become entangled with any threads which might lie over the tube.

As will be observed in Fig. 3 the centers of axes 46, I and 53 are not in alignment, the center 5I being above a line joining the axes 46 and 53. If, therefore, a misplaced shuttle should engage the rear wall 45 of the support unit 4| as the lay moves forwardly the tube 30 can move forwardly relatively to the carrier 3| against the action of spring '95, and at the same time the center 5I will be able to move upwardly toward the position which it occupies'in Fig. 2, thereby swinging the hook BI forwardly so that it cannot engage the thread of a misplaced shuttle.

It will be noted from Fig. 3, and in dotted lines in Fig. 11, that the hook BI is forward of the box back I8 when the lay is on front center and the remover has returned to its non-pick-up position, hence any thread leading from the mouth to the adjacent selvage will extend forwardly out of the path of the box back and cannot be engaged and broken by it. In the past pneumatic thread removers have ordinarily been made so that the hook and intake mouth have swung around the stud I2 toa position rearward of, the box back and therehas been resultant breakage of the thread. w

There is always some dust and lint in the weave room which is likely to be drawn into the remover system with resultant deposits on those parts of the remover through or along which the thread passes. It has been found that where the air is required to move around a sharp bend centrifugal force is likely to throw dust out of the air stream against adjacent structure. There appears to be a minimum. area of intake mouth below which dust accumulation at themouth becomes objectionable, but this area is so large as to present an undesired load on the pneumatic system unless steps are taken to restrict th cross section of the air stream.

Fig. 12 shows diagrammatically the relative cross sections of the passage 51, designated at 61A in the figure, the area 62A of the intake mouth, and the reduced area 18A of the restricted air path '18. The size of the area of the intake mouth falls between the sizes of the areas 61A and 18A so that when the valve is wide open air will pass through the mouth at a relatively high rate which will prevent deposit of dust, the area 62A representing the aforesaid minimum selfcleaning area. The air passing through the relatively small path 18 will be moving quite rapidly so that this passage will be kept clean. The reduction of air speed above the small path I8 is likely to result in collection of dust on the valve, and this collection may also occur below the valve. It is found however that when the valve rotates adjacent parts of the head scrape off dust accumulations so that they can be drawn along the system away from the valve and out of the passage 81.

Fig. 13 shows diagrammatically a modified thread passage in the head in which the path of the air is such as to deposit dust on the valve at the restricted part of the passage rather than on the head. The valve I05 is similar to valve I0 and has a port I06 and a cylindrical surface I01. Upper and lower passages I08 and I09, respectively, are oblique to each other and passage I08 bends rearwardly away from the valve. These two passages are joined by a narrow restricted path I I0 which is curved so that as air passes through it centrifugal force will direct dust away from the part III of passage H0 and against the valve, thus keeping clear that part of the narrow passage defined by the head I I2. As the valve turns incident to movement of the remover to pick up position the dust on surface I01 will be scraped off by edge II3 formed on the head at the right hand part of passage I09. The surface of the valve is on the outside of the bend in the passage and the axis of the valve is preferably transverse of the plane of the two air passages I08 and I09.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the invention sets forth a pneumatic thread remover for the thread of the outgoing bobbin having a remover head which is angularly movable on supporting structure as the latter moves from non-pick-up to pick-up position for the purpose of opening the valve to permit a considerable draft of air to be drawn through the intake mouth. At the same time the hook BI is moved to rearward position advantageous for picking up the thread. The remover furthermore remains in the position shown in Fig. 3 throughout the entire backward movement of the lay subsequent to transfer of a bobbin and during part of the ensuing forward motion of the lay to give the remover ample time to attract the thread. The rod 35 which effects return of the remover to its nonpick-up position operates onv a two-pick cycle and is operated by a cam which is part of the replem'shing mechanism. Also, it will be seen that the remover is mounted for yielding forward motion in the event it is struck by a misplaced shuttle and that during this forward motion rod 52 will rock the head in a direction to move the hook GI away from the thread of the misplaced shuttle. The head H may be considered as ,a mounting means for the hook GI. Furthermore,

the rotary valve by its turning-tends to clean adjacent parts of the air passage and itself of dust accumulations. Also, the intake mouth moves to a position forward of shuttle box back i 8 when the remover returns to normal position. The valve is turned due to turning of the head, and the hook swings from thread pick-up to thread retaining position as the remover rises. The walls 42 and 43 serve as guards for the thread when its ends move toward the intake mouth, and the mouth has a cross section between that of the wide open passage and the narrow path 78 or I if], I

Having thus described the invention it will be seen that changes and modifications of the foregoing specific disclosure may be made without departin from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In pneumatic thread remover mechanism for a loom having a thread extending along a lay, a thread remover normally in thread non-pick-up position but moving to thread pick-up position on a weft replenishing beat of the loom, a head mounted on the remover for angular motion relative thereto about an axis substantially parallel to the lay and having an intake mouth for the thread, and means effective due to movement of the remover to pick-up position to rock said head in a direction to effect movement of the intake mouth toward the lay.

2. In pneumatic thread remover mechanism for a loom having a thead to be removed, a thread remover normally in thread non-pick-up position, a head pivoted on said remover for angular movement relative thereto about an axis substantially parallel to the lay, said head having a thread and air passage therethrough terminating at one end thereof in a thread intake mouth, means effective to move the remover to thread pick-up position on a weft replenishing beat of the loom, and means operative due to-movement of the remover to thread pick-up position to effect turning of saidhead with respect to the remover in a direction to move the intake mouth rearwardly.

3. In pneumatic thread remover mechanism for a loom having a thread extendingalong a backwardly and forwardly'reciprocating lay provided with a shuttle box back, a thread remover normally in thread non-pick-up position but moving to thread pick-up position on a weft'replenishing beat of the loom, a head pivoted on said remover and having a thread intake mouth, and means connected to the head cooperating with'the remover to efiect rocking of said head in a direction to move the intake mouth rearwardly when the remover moves to pick-up position and effect reverse rocking of said head to move the intake mouth to a position forward of the front center position of said box back when the remover returns to the non-pick-up position thereof.

4. In pneumatic thread remover mechanism for a loom having a thread to be removed, a thread remover normally in thread non-pick-up position but moving to-thread pick-up position incident to a weft replenishing operation and subsequently returning to non-pick-up position, a thread controlling head pivot-ally mounted on the remover rocking relatively to the latterin one direction when the remover moves to pick-up position and rocking in the opposite direction when the remover returns to non-pick-up position, the head having a thread passag therethrough, a valve rotatable in the head controlling said air passage, and operative connections between the remover and the valve effective due to turnin of the head to move the valve to open position when the remover moves to pick-up position and move the valve to substantially closed position when the remover returns to non-pick-up position.

5. In pneumatic thread remover mechanism for a loom having a thread extending along a lay, a thread remover normally in thread nonpick-up position but moving to thread pick-up position incident to a weft replenishing operation and subsequently returning to non-pick-up position, a head mounted on the remover for an- 'gular motion relatively thereto about an axis substantially parallel to the lay, said head having an air passage therethrough, a valve in the head rotatable relatively thereto either to open said passage or effect substantial closure there of, means causing angular motion of the head relative to the remover when the latter moves to thread pick-up position, and operative connection between the remover and the valve operative incident to angular motion of the head with respect to the rem-over to move said valve to open saidthread passage when the remover moves to thread pick-up position.

6. In a pneumatic thread remover for a loom, a support, a thread controlling head rotatable on the support and having an air passage therethrough, a valve rotatable on the head to control the cross section of said passage, andoperative connections between the valve and support eiTective to move the valve to change the cross section of said passage when the head turns with respect to said support.

7. In pneumatic thread remover mechanism for a weft replenishing loom, a thread remover having an air passage extending therethrough one end of which leads to a thread intake mouth and the other end of which is connected to a source of subatmospheric pressures, a valve movable with respect to said remover projecting into said passage between the ends thereof and normally substantially closing said passage, and means controlling the valve normally stationary but moving incident to a weft replenishing operation of the loom to cause movement of the valve with respect to the removerto open said thread passage.

8. In pneumatic thread remover mechanism for a loom having a thread tobe removed, a pneumatic thread remover normally in thread nonpick-up position but moving to thread pick-up position on a weft replenishing beat of the loom and having an air passage extending therethrough one end of which connects to a thread intake mouth and the other end of which is connected to a source'of subatmospheric pressures, a valve mounted in the remover for movement relative thereto and having a part thereof extending into and substantially closing said thread passage when the remover is in the non-pick-up position thereof, said valve fitting the head closely adjacent to said thread passage, and means operating incident to movement of the remover to thread pick-up position moving said valve to a position to open said thread passage, movement of the valve relative to the head tending to remove dust accumulations from the valve by adjacent parts of the remover.

9. In pneumatic thread remover mechanism for a loom having a lay along which a thread extends, a thread remover normally in thread non-pick-up position but moving to thread pickup position on weft replenishing beats of the loom and having a thread passage extending therethrough one end of which connects to a thread intake mouth and the other end of which is connected to a source of subatmospheric pressures, a valve movable angularly with respect to the remover having a part thereof normally extending into the passage between the ends thereof to effect substantial closure of the latter but permit air to pass through the passage, said valve having a close fit with the adjacent parts of the remover and dust accumulations tending to collect on said part of the valve, and means operating incident to movement of the remover to thread pick-up position causing angular movement of the valve relatively to the remover to a position to open said passage and move said part of the valve along adjacent parts of the remover to loosen said dust accumulations.

10. In pneumatic thread remover mechanism for a loom having a lay along which extends a thread to be removed, a thread remover normally in thread non-pick-up position including a support having walls spaced from each other in a direction lengthwise of the lay, thread removing means having a thread intake mouth between said walls, and means operative incident to a, weft replenishing operation of the loom moving said remover to thread pick-up position and moving said walls into engagement with said thread on either side of the intake mouth.

11. In a pneumatic thread remover for a loom having a thread to be removed extending along a lay, a thread remover normally in non-threadpick-up position but moving to thread pick-up position on a weft replenishing beat of the loom and including a support having two walls spaced from each other lengthwise of the lay, a head rotatable on the support between said walls and having an intake mouth and a thread pick-up hook below the mouth, and means turning the head relatively to the support when the remover moves to thread pick-up position to effect rearward movement of said hook to a position in which the latter will be lower than either of said walls and effective when said remover returns to non-pick-up position to move said hook to a position above one of said walls but below the other wall.

12. In pneumatic thread remover mechanism for a loom having a thread extending along a lay, a pneumatic thread remover normally in thread non-pick-up position but moving to thread pick-up position on a weft replenishing beat of the loom including a support having two walls spaced from each other lengthwise of the lay, the wall nearer the cloth having an upwardly and forwardly inclined bottom edge and the other wall having a bottom edge lower than said inclined edge, a thread controlling head rotatable on the support and having an intake mouth and a thread hook below said mouth intermediate said walls, said hook projecting below the level of said inclined edge but being above said edge of said other wall when the remover is in thread non-pick-up position, and means operating incident to movement of the thread remover to thread pick-up position causing angular movement of said hook to a position below both of said walls.

13. In pneumatic thread removing mechanism for a loom having a lay, a thread remover normally in thread non-pick-up position but moving to thread pick-up position incident to a weft replenishing operation and subsequently returning to the non-pick-up position thereof, a thread pick-up hook, mounting means for said hook pivoted on said remover capable of changing the angular position of the hook with respect to the remover, and means operatively connected to the mounting means determining the angular position of the mounting means and hook with re spect to the remover effective to cause the mount ing means to move the hook to a position favorable for picking up the thread when the remover moves to thread pick-up position and thereafter effective to cause the mounting means to move the hook to a position favorable for retention of the thread when the remover returns to nonpick-up position.

14. In a pneumatic thread remover for a loom having a lay reciprocating backwardly and forwardly between front and back center positions and in which the lay is on the front center position thereof when a weft replenishing operation occurs, a cam rotating during loom operation, a thread remover normally in thread non-pick-up position, means moving the remover to thread pick-up position incident to a weft replenishing operation of the loom, the remover remaining in the thread pick-up position thereof throughout the backward stroke of the lay immediately following a weft replenishingoperation, and means operated by the cam during the ensuing forward movement of the lay returning the remover to the non-pick-up position thereof.

15. In a pneumatic thread remover for a weft replenishing loom, means defining an air passage through the remover and a thread intake mouth at one end of said passage, and a valve on the remover movable either to open said passage or diminish the cross section of part of the passage to a reduced area, the cross sectional area of said passage being greater than the area of the mouth and the area of the latter being greater than said reduced area.

16. In a pneumatic thread remover for a weft replenishing loom, means defining a substantially cylindrical air passage through the remover having at one end thereof a thread intake mouth, and a valve on the remover movable either to open said passage or diminish part thereof to a reduced area, the cross section of the intake mouth and of the reduced area each having greater length than width, and the size of the area of the intake mouth being such as to fall between the sizes of the areas of the passage and the reduced area.

17. In pneumatic thread remover mechanism for a loom, a thread remover having an air passage therethrough one end of which terminates at a thread intake mouth and the other end of which is connected to a source of subatmospheric pressures, said air passage having upper and lower parts of substantially the same cross sectional area, and a value between said parts of the passage extending into the latter from one side thereof and so formed that when in one position thereof the air passage is of substantially the same area throughout the length thereof and when the valve is in another position said parts of the passage are connected by a path of reduced area at one side of said passage.

18. In pneumatic thread remover mechanism for the thread of a loom, a thread remover having an air passage therethrough one end of which terminates at a thread intake mouth and the other end of which is connected to a source of subatmospheric pressures, said air passage having aligned upper and lower parts of substantially the same cross sectional area, and a cylindrical valve between said parts of the passage extending into the latter and rotatable relatively to the remover and so formed that when in one position thereof the air passage is of substantially the same area between said ends thereof and when the valve is in another position said parts of the passage are connected by an air path of restricted area.

for a loom, said mechanism having a thread passage therethrough one end of which leads to a thread intake mouth and the other end of which is connectible to a source of subatmospheric pressures, a rotary valve on the remover extending into said passage from one side thereof and in one angular position with respect to the remover causing said passage to have a cross sectional area at the valve substantially the same as the parts of the passage on either side of the valve and when in another position causing said parts of the passage to be connected by an air path of restricted area, that part of the passage beyond the valve with reference to the intake mouth bending away from the valve with respect to that part of the passage adjacent to the mouth so that dust in air passing through said path will be thrown by centrigugal force against said valve, said valve when rotating relatively to the remover having said dust scraped therefrom by part of the remover.

20. In a pneumatic thread remover for a loom, said remover having a bent air passage therethrough one part of which at one side of the bend connects with a thread intake mouth and the other part of which at the other side of the bend is connected by a source of subatmospheric pressures, a rotary valve controlling the cross sectional area of said passage projecting into the latter at said bend and on the side thereof such that dust when thrown from the air by centrifugal force as the air traverses said bend is directed toward the valve, the valve when turned causing the remover to engage and loosen dust accumulation on the valve.

21. In a pneumatic thread remover for a weft replenishing loom having a lay reciprocating 19. A pneumatic thread remover mechanism backwardly and forwardly between front and back center positions and in which the lay is on the front center position thereof when a weft replenishing operation occurs, a thread remover normally in non-thread-pickup position, means operating incident to a weft replenishing operation of the loom moving the thread remover toward the lay to thread pick-up position, actuator means having an operative movement during the time the lay is moving forwardly from back center to front center immediately following a weft replenishing operation, and resetting means operated by the actuator means when the latter has said operative movement thereof to return the remover to thread non-pick-up positions.

22. In a pneumatic thread remover for a weft replenishing loom provided with a lay having reciprocating movements backwardly and forwardly between front and back center positions and in which the lay is on the front center posi tion thereof when a weft replenishing operation occurs, a thread remover normally in non-threadpick-up position, means moving the remover to thread pick-up position incident to a weft replenishing operation of the loom, means holding the remover in the thread pick-up position thereof throughout the entire backward movement of the lay immediately following a weft replenishing operation and through part of the ensuing forward movement of the lay, actuator means having an operative movement during said part of the ensuing forward movement of the lay, and resetting means operated by said actuator means when the latter has said operative movement thereof to return the remover to thread nonpick-up position.

CLARENCE R. KRONOFF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,219,793 Turner Oct. 29, 1940 2,354,624 Turner 'July 25, 1944 2,520,579 Turner Aug. 29, 1950 

